Springs Drops Demand For Uniform Racks

June 18, 1996|By ALAN CHERRY Staff Writer

CORAL SPRINGS - — City officials have dropped a demand that all newspaper racks in the city be the same color, part of the changes made to a proposed ordinance regulating newspaper dispensing machines.

The ordinance still dictates where the racks can be placed and requires that they be properly maintained. No more than three racks can be in one location.

"There are restrictions, but they are restrictions we can live with," said Jim Smith, Sun-Sentinel vice president and marketing director.

The rewritten version comes as a result of meetings between city and newspaper officials.

"We believe it represents probably something even better than a compromise, but a consensus that all the publications could live with," Mayor John Sommerer said. "And it accomplishes the city's goal to have some degree of uniformity and upkeep."

Much tougher news rack rules were approved in Coconut Creek last week. Coconut Creek is dictating the color of racks, requiring clusters of racks be 1,500 feet apart and all be the same style machine.

Sun-Sentinel and The Miami Herald representatives are seeking changes to the Coconut Creek ordinance, saying the rules would nearly eliminate racks in the city.

Many cities in Broward County has pursued tougher rules on news racks since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last fall let stand a lower court ruling on a Coral Gables law controlling news racks.